Match Girl
by Haruka Hourou
Summary: Set in the 1880's in Germany, Eren finds herself caught in the crossfires of the extremists from two clans. She finds herself orphaned and without any other means, takes up match making and selling. Just when she's beginning to accept her tragic fate, she meets a man with beautiful, silvery-blue eyes, and soon after everything she thought she knew. Werewolves. Longing. Passion.
1. Match Girl

**Summary: Loosely inspired by the Disney short Little Match Girl, with an added, sinister, wolfish twist.**

 **A/N:**

 **I've been craving it, so I let myself have it, and now I offer it to you, to partake in, if you wish to join me.**

 **Match Girl**

Sighing heavily, the brunette left the dank and molded mattress she unfortunately called her bed, scuffling quietly as to not wake the other, still slumbering, and much younger children that filled the tiny cramped space. She rinsed her face with ice cold water at the basin at the end of the room, then hurried towards their shared clothing trunk to try and find something reasonably warm to wear to make her forget about her lack of proper foot and hand coverings. Though the Madame provided them with a roof over their heads, a place to sleep, and every so often, something to wear, she did little else for the nine children that were housed up in the smallest room of her home. She was a strange, widowed lady who often times was not even home. Sometimes she was kind and made the children something warm and delicious to eat, but usually she would go through fits of rage, abusing whoever was unlucky enough to cross her. She terrified Eren, the oldest of the nine who found themselves forced to depend upon the demented crone.

Eren slowly made her way down the crooked staircase and quietly slipped past the Madame's room, she wandered into the kitchen and opened the creaky pantry door. She quickly searched through the sparsely supplied space and found the small wicker basket that contained the lively hood of herself and the other eight children. After securing the basket of matches, she hurried to the shoe closet at the entry way of the small home, and lingered there, debating whether or not to take a pair of boots to keep her feet warm and risk the chance of the Madame discovering the missing pair or just hoping that she wouldn't get frostbite. The risk of frostbite was the less risky option so she settled for wrapping her already freezing feet with a few more layers bandages and throwing on a pair of old socks she'd found a few weeks prior.

With one last, forlorn look, Eren made her way out into the snow covered courtyard and down the frozen cobblestone pathway towards the woods, the shortest way she knew to town. After what felt like several hours, though it'd only been closer to one, she found herself near the main plaza, putting on her brightest smile and trying her hardest to get the attention of passerbys in hopes that she'd make enough to buy a few loaves of bread for herself and the slumbering children.

"Matches," she shouted, "I've got matches here for sale," she wandered up and down the plaza, down the streets, and paths she knew well, "five matches for 2 pfennig! Just 2 pfennig!"

She was no stranger to wondering through the frigid streets, nor being ignored or scoffed at as if she were a rodent invading the holiday table, nothing more than a nuisance. Though it hadn't always been this bad. In the seventeen years she'd lived, the first nine were what could have been considered paradise, she'd probably still be there if it hadn't been for the manic patient of her father that broke into their quaint home and set fire to her comfortable life.

Being the sole survivor of her family of five was not something she'd have ever imagined before she was orphaned at the tender age of ten. The next five years were spent being shuffled from family to family until she met the Madame. She was lured in with kind words, the offer of a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and clean warm clothing; but so were all the other children until the Madame grew tired of them and left them to rot while she found another doll to peek her interests. Eren had been lucky, she'd played the role of the Madame's lovely little doll for nearly an entire year before she was cast aside like the old pair of socks that currently clothed her feet.

"Matches! I've got matches here for sale!" her wanderings continued, moving from one street to the next in hopes that someone would purchase at least one match from her, "Five matches for 2 pfennig!" she cried out desperately. All she received in response was a harsh gust of wind, several cold glares, and increased snowfall.

As the day neared its climax and what warmth the sun's ray provided dissipated, she sighed and looked down at her meager earnings for the day, '6 pfennig, barely enough for a small bread loaf,' she thought, and made her way to the alley behind the bakery, hoping to find something safe enough to eat for herself so she could give the bread to the other children.

Finding nothing but frozen scraps, she shook her head and tried to ignore the pain of her grumbling stomach, dusted the snow off her coat, then walked into the bakery, hoping the baker would be willing to give her anything burnt or scraped that wasn't fit to be sold. Upon entering the bakery, she received nothing but dark glares and upturned noses, she ignored them and went straight to the counter and held out her hand to the elderly man presenting her earnings for the day with a determined look, despite hearing every low murmur of "what's that smell," or scoff of "filthy."

He gave her a once over, then looked at the measly excuse of a payment in her hands before shaking his head and saying, "Sorry miss, there's nothing her you can buy with that."

Eren stared at him, her mouth slightly agape, "S-surely there's something? Sir I'm sorry but this is all I have!" she stated a little louder than she thought, but held fast and tried again to offer the man the money.

"The cheapest thing I have right now is 10 pfennig," he stated firmly, but seeing her fallen expression, added in, "try to come back earlier in the morning when we're still fully stocked."

"B-but sir…I have eight siblings to feed…" her voice grew louder and she immediately remembered where she was, feeling every pair of eyes in the baker's shop on her at once. Gritting her teeth she turned on her heel to run out but was stopped by rather abruptly by a man in a long black trench coat and an expensive looking top hat.

He stared down at her with a faint hint of confusion …and was that sadness? in his silvery-blue eyes, then back at the oversized man behind the counter before pulling out his wallet. Eren stared up at the man with a mix of fear and frustration in her eyes, shouting out, "E-excuse me sir!" Before dashing back out into the snow covered streets. It was nearly sunset, she needed to hurry home before darkness fell and she was unable to see.

She started towards the woods, hoping to reach the cobblestone path before sundown, though she wanted to run, she knew how weak her body was and the likely hood of her making it back was much slimmer if she exhausted herself before half the trip had been made. Fortunately she neared the edge of the wood before all the light had completely faded, and she knew that even in the darkness, she would be able to make it home because of the path, what she didn't know was that a strange pair of silvery eyes was watching as she made her way into the woods.

Nearly an hour later, Eren found herself panting at the top step of the Madame's home, trying to compose herself and bring her frozen limbs up high enough open the door. One she was safely in, she collapsed in the entryway, feeling tired and frustrated for being unable to provide a meal for yet another day this week. There was no food in the kitchen nor in the pantry, and judging by the happy clamor of the children, Eren could only guess that the Madame was no longer there. She would never allow the boisterous noise of eight children to fill her halls if she were anywhere in the house, no matter her mood.

A little energy returned to her after realizing the Madame's absence, so Eren stood and began to dust herself off, feeling the warmth slowly return to her limbs and making movement easier. She started to leave the entryway, but froze when she heard the loud knock from the other side of the door. Wide-eyed and alarmed, she turned to the door and realized she hadn't locked it, then hurried back to turn the lock. After a few strained seconds passed, she leaned her ear against the door to listen for any movement, then cautiously called out, "Who's there?" when there was no response, she took a deep breath and very slowly unlocked then cracked open the door. What she saw was no person, not even a beast, rather, a large brown bag left in front of the door.

Quickly surveying the surroundings, she propped open the door, grabbed the bag, then shut it just as quickly before making sure she locked it securely again. Eren took the bag to the kitchen and quickly opened it, gasping when she saw several loaves of bread, what looked to be a dozen or so rolls, a small block of cheese and a few links of wurst.

"Who would..?" was all she could say, wondering who or why anyone would leave such a feast at their doorstep. She felt tears well up and spill over as she began to carve up the meat and cheese to be rationed to each child, all the while feeling an intense sense of appreciation and happiness for whoever left the bag there. "Thank you," she whispered, as she wiped the wetness from her eyes and finished the preparations.

She ran upstairs and giddily passed out the food to each child, treasuring their grateful faces. Upon requests for seconds, she returned to cut up a bit more of the food before storing the rest away for the next few days' worth of meals. As she packed the bread back into the bag, she noticed a little note written out on a small cream colored piece of paper. Written out in neat script were the words,

 _Sie haben etwas vergessen._

'But I wasn't able to buy anything…how could I have forgotten something?' she thought, folding up the paper and slipping it into her pocket.

That night, she and the others slept with full bellies and without worry of being forced from sleep to complete one of the Madame's bizarre tasks. She hadn't left for a while, and Eren could only hope she'd decided to return to France again. The last time she'd left, she was away for over a month. She prayed that would be the case again, because that meant one month for her wounds to heal, and to try and find another place to live that would take them all.

 **A/N:**

 **Sie haben etwas vergessen. You forgot something. I don't speak German so I asked a friend for this translation, if any of you are fluent speakers, could you please let me know if this is an acceptable translation? Thank you.**

 **I would like to formally welcome you back (hopefully) to enjoy the newest fruit of my stress relief. I know my absence has been inexcusable, so I would also like to extend a formal apology along with the following offer: For the next month, beginning (today!) December 1, 2015 until New Year's Day, I will be accepting requests to write one shots/ficlets, though I do have a few rules, but outside of these guidelines (below), all is free-game.**

 **So firstly, I sincerely apologize to all of you who have been following me and sending me such wonderful messages and encouragements to continue writing. I've made the personal decision to finish writing both Dear Rabbit and Mundane before I post any more chapters, as I've had quite a while longer to think about what I wanted to do with each story and universe. That being said, you can expect updates on BOTH of them before the year has come to its end.**

 **Secondly, Thank you all so much for the overflow of support and love that you've all given me over the past two years, I seriously can't believe how wonderful this fandom is and how understanding and supportive you've all been, so from the bottom of my heart, thank you so, so very much.**

 **Lastly, the guidelines for my previous fic offer:**

 **1\. If I am not comfortable with the request, I reserve the right to refuse it, no ifs, ands or buts.**

 **Ie. I don't do bestiality, pedophilia is a no go, rape is out of the question.**

 **2\. I'd prefer if the ship was Riren/Ereri, but I am open to other pairings, though I can't guarantee the quality since I'm a LeviXEren shipper for life.**

 **3\. Feel free to get creative, wild, and downright weird!**

If you have any more questions, or are interested in this offer, then please, leave a comment below or message me on my **tumblr: haruka-hourou**

On an entirely different note, I finally made and **Instagram** – and it's…you guessed it, **haruka_hourou** , I've gotten really into **cosplaying** the past year or so, and I've been posting updates on my costumes and a few cosplay photos intermixed with my everyday life, so if any of you would like to keep in better contact, feel free to follow me and I will follow you back~! I'd love to get to know y'all better!


	2. Matchless I

**Summary: "Life is a series of hope dashing events" – J.R. At least that's one way to look at it. Another is perhaps, to see every day as a chance for hope to present itself, but it all depends on how you wish to approach life.**

 **A/N: What happens to a match girl who no longer has matches?**

 **Matchless I**

"Matches! I've got matches for sale!" the girl shouted in the middle of the plaza, "Keep the winter chill away with these matches! Make your home cozy and warm for only 2 pfennig!"

It'd been nearly a week since a stranger left the bag of provisions on her doorstep, and nearly a week since the Madame had disappeared again. This was Eren's first day back in the town since that day because they were going to run out of food soon. One of the children snuck out the day she'd gone to town and managed to catch a cold. They had no money for medicine so all she could do was offer a portion of her own food to help him try and fight the sickness away, but so far it wasn't looking good, and now two other children were exhibiting symptoms.

By midday, she'd managed to scrape in 20 pfennig, she'd even found a ½ mark on the street and silently shouted praise for the find, but even that wasn't enough to even hope to afford any fever suppressants. She tucked away her earnings and moved from the plaza to test her luck on the streets. Not even an hour into her wanderings, a stout man approached her with a wide toothed grin and mischievous glint in his eye.

"Hello miss, what is it that you're selling there?" He asked, watching Eren move carefully

"Matches sir, 5 for 2 pfennig, but I'm flexible with the pricing if you'd like more sir." She said, eyeing him as she subconsciously took a step backwards.

"Only 2 pfennig? Sounds like I'm cheating you," he smiled and pulled out his change purse, then presented Eren with one mark, "how about this, I give you 1 mark and you give me whatever else remains of your matches?"

Her bright green eyes widened as she stuttered out, "S-sir? Really? Um, well I only have 30 left…is that really okay?" she stared at him, unsure of the offer and wondered if there was a catch. There definitely had to be.

Chuckling the man held out his hand and Eren tied up what remained of her matches and handed them to the man, who then dropped the shiny new mark into the palm of her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you miss."

Eren nodded, and quickly turned towards the direction of the pharmacy to see if she had enough for a cheaper medication, with 1 ½ marks she surely had enough for something to at least lower their fever. She cut through a familiar alleyway and soon the back of pharmacy was in sight. Slowing down so she didn't walk in winded, she turned around the corner and made her way to the front of the pharmacy, she stood outside the building for a few seconds, reading the sign outside that read _Apotheke,_ trying to ignore the few people that passed her by with their noses held high as they clutched their belongings closer to their person. 'I'm so sick of these assholes thinking I want to steal from them,' she thought to herself, then shook the thought from her head as she entered the surprisingly warm pharmacy.

Almost immediately, she was enthusiastically greeted by a woman with amber eyes alight with curiosity behind her golden spectacles, and brown hair messily tied back behind her. She came from behind the counter and walked over to Eren, the peculiar glint in her eyes making the girl feel a bit on edge, but not scared, "Hello dear, is there something I can help you with today?" she asked, her voice animated and welcoming.

She stared up at the woman, then looked around the store, eyes scanning over the signs until she spotted what she was looking for.

"Yes ma'am!" Eren squeaked out, "I need fever suppressants…" she quietly added, "…the cheapest ones you have preferably."

The woman's eyebrows raised slightly, but she nodded and made her way behind the counter, with her back facing Eren she began to shuffle through the contents held in the great wooden shelves that housed numerous containers of things Eren couldn't hope to pronounce. "Are these for you?" the woman questioned over her shoulder.

Eren shook her head even though the woman wasn't looking her direction, "No ma'am, they're for my siblings…three of them," she paused, then thought to add in, "they're 8, 10, and 11."

The woman paused, let go of the vile in her hand and reached to the side to pull another instead. She turned to face Eren as she pulled out a mortar and pestle and began to grind the powders together. Once satisfied she began to separate out the doses and labeled them before packing them neatly in a little brown bag. She left the bag on the counter, and watched as Eren wandered curiously through the store, noticing when she stopped in front of the section that had bandages and different ointments whose purposes ranged from soothing sores to disinfecting cuts. Eren was so engrossed in reading about the various healing properties promised by each specific herb included in the ointments, that she didn't notice the woman slip into the back for a moment.

The woman smiled as she wrapped up a handful of candies and few cough lozenges and placed them in the bag alongside the medication before making her way towards the girl.

"Was there anything else miss?" she asked, chuckling at the sight of a startled Eren.

"N-no that's it!" Eren hurriedly stated as she got out her change purse. "Um…how much do I owe you?" She handed over the mark and a half, "Is this enough?" she asked hopeful, then dug further into the nearly empty bag, "I have more if it's not…"

"Oh no sweetie, this isn't…" the woman started then paused with a pensive look twinkling in her eyes, "what did you say your name was?"

Eren looked up at the woman, a bit taken a back and puzzled, "I didn't…but it's Eren, ma'am."

"Right, well Eren, you're lucky, because today I'm having a special since it's so close to Christmas," she looked down at the money in her hand and then continued, "do you have 25 pfennigs?" she asked, smiling at the girl.

Eren's brows creased, faint worry lines appearing between them and her forehead as she nodded and handed over what remained of her earnings for the day, "Yes ma'am."

The brown eyed bespectacled woman smiled and took the change, handed Eren her bag then walked back to the counter and rang in the amount, she caught Eren just before she exited the store, shouting, "Don't forget your change dear!" before handing back the mark and half to a bewildered Eren.

Eren looked to the woman, then back at her hand and titled her head to the side in confusion, "but…wait a second?"

"Have a nice day, thanks for stopping in hun," the woman stated before turning back and disappearing behind the counter.

She stood outside the small pharmacy, breaths coming out in white puffs and she stared back at the money in her hands, then quickly placed it back in her change pouch, a quiet, "thank you," escaped her lips as she rounded the corner to head back down the alley towards the part of the town where most of her favorite and most reasonably priced food shops lay.

Moments after she rounded the building to make it back into the alleyway, she was jerked to the side and a strongly scented cloth was forcibly shoved into her face, covering her mouth and nostrils, making it impossible to scream and even harder to breathe. Within seconds of being forced to inhale whatever liquid the cloth was soaked in, she felt her limbs grow heavy and head begin to hurt before her vision grew cloudy and everything faded to black.

As she dropped into the arms of her capture, the small brown bag containing the much needed medication for her young family fell from between her limp fingers and landed into the snow covered alleyway.

The stout man motioned to the one holding the unconscious girl and led them to his carriage, he smiled as she was loaded in, and took a piece of her chocolate colored hair between his fingers, "If she's properly cleaned and dressed, she could catch a high price at the auction." He stepped out and leaned to the sid, exchanging a few words with the driver before hoping off the carriage footstep and strolling back down the street in search of another bargain the streets had to offer.

 **A/N: I intended for the release of this story to be every other week, however finals and an unexpectedly busy work schedule have prevented me from doing so, as such, I've edited and posted the next chapter as a sorry for the wait.**

 **Expect chapter 4 to come out between now and sometime before Christmas as another thank you for your patience and the lovely comments. Also, DR and Mundane updates will resume next week, as well as bonus aside chapters for each in honor of the Christmas season.**

 **If you don't celebrate Christmas, then I wish you a Happy Holiday and if you don't celebrate any holiday, then I hope you're enjoying some time off from work and are able to relax and cherish your alone time or time with your family.**


	3. Matchless II

**Summary: Confusion and Fear often come hand in hand, sometimes they are accompanied by Pain and Sadness, the girl knows these uninvited guests far too well.**

 **A/N: If home is where your heart is, what happens when your heart goes missing?**

 **Matchless II**

"…-aking up."

"Ye-"

"…-oss said… -eah that's right."

Eren felt like her head was going to explode, she didn't know where she was nor was she able to clearly make out what the men were speaking of. Wait. 'Men? Yeah that sounds like men talking, MEN? Why are there men, where am I?'

She tried to sit up but found that her limbs were bound together and a rope was securely tied around her waist. She was bound and it was dark out, or was it? She knew she opened her eyes but she still couldn't see anything. 'Am I blind folded?' her pulse quickened and the painful headache only worsened as her blood rushed faster, she tried to keep her breathing steady and even, but how calm could one be when they're bound in an unknown location. To top it all off, based on the sounds and the rough jostles and jerks she was experiencing, she was sure they were in a moving carriage, and she had no idea how long she'd been out, therefore she had no idea how far from home she was.

Home. Madame's house. Could it really be called a home? Surely not, but that was the closest thing she had to one and that was where the children were undoubtedly waiting for her to return to.

Right, the children. And the medicine. The medicine that woman practically gave her. She couldn't feel it in her hands anymore. 'I hope they remember to eat,' she thought, 'I need to get away from here, Artur was still so feverish when I left and Karoline and Lizette didn't seem too well either. What if they all get sick, ugh I should have separated the sick children from the healthy ones before I left. You're such an idiot Eren.'

She grit her teeth in frustration and tried to sit up. One of the men stopped talking and pushed Eren back down, "Woah, easy there, down girl." One many laughed and the other added in, "Don't worry, you'll be in your new home soon."

She tried to spit out a retort, but was cut off as the man shoved her face down into the bottom of the carriage.

She clenched her teeth and held her tongue, stopping her struggle until the man finally let up, after a few more moment passed, and their conversation continued, she shot back up and tried again to struggle from her captor's grasp.

"I said stay down bitch!" One spat out, shoving her back down.

Through clenched teeth, Eren retorted, "What did you call me you asshole? Untie me you bastards!" she shouted letting out her frustration in a stream. Her response was a harsh back hand to the face, the taste of fresh blood in her mouth, and the worsening of her headache.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" he hauled her up by her collar and jostled her bound form.

Eren growled and spit in the direction of his voice, hoping some of her blood was mixed in and that it landed on the asshole's face, or at least on his clothing. Blood was a bitch to get out of anything.

"You little-" Eren steeled herself for another hit to the face, but it never came, instead there was a rough jerk as the man dropped her and she was thrown to the other side of the carriage. She was about to speak up and demand to know what was happening when the sound of gun-shots rang through the air, her words were stuck in her throat and she gulped, anger fading from her system as it was replaced by feelings helplessness and uncertainty.

Moments later she was jerked up and felt her bounds roughly cut off, followed by incoherent shouts of orders that she was too shaken to understand. She heard the door of the carriage being forced open and soon she was thrown out and met with the chilling cold of the winter air and a thick blanket of snow to the face. Eren scurried to her feet and quickly removed her blindfold, then tried to take in as much as she could of her surroundings. All around her the snow was speckled and spotted with blood, the sounds of gun shots, growls, and dying wails filled her ears. She trudged through the snow as fast as she could towards the woods in hopes to take cover from the gun fire and escape the chaos she'd just been thrown into.

The snow and frigid earth bit at her freezing feet, her socks and the worthless wrappings were completely soaked through and chilling her to the bone. She ran for what felt like hours, which really had only been little over a quarter of one, before she tripped over a rather tall tree stump. Suppressing a cry, she pushed herself up and wiped the blood from her mouth as she tried to stand, then fell right back down. She tried her best not to howl out in pain as she clutched her throbbing ankle.

Eren pulled herself against the tree stump and took the opportunity to catch her breath while she inspected just how damaged her ankle was. She pulled off the soaked sock and bit her lip, as her brows furrowed in surprise and dread. She wiped away some of the blood from the scrape, and pressed along the side of her foot just below her ankle protrusion and felt tears prickling in the corners of her eyes, 'Oh God this is not good,' she thought, looking around at her surroundings and feeling nothing but despair invade her senses.

After several minutes of resting her aching foot in the snow to numb it, she slowly unwrapped the bandages that kept her skin from directly hitting the snow, and tried her best to salvage it as she re-wrapped the swelling appendage. Eren took a deep breath and forced herself to stand, only to fall down again with a loud yelp, as a few tears streamed down her face.

"Damnit," she spit out between grit teeth.

The sudden sound of a branch snapping forced her out of her self-pitying state, as she looked around for the source of the noise. Moments later, a large dark figure emerged, 'oh no, please no,' Eren thought as tried to flatten her body further against tree in hope she wouldn't be seen. She couldn't look away while the steady sound of crunching snow grew closer as the creature approached her, 'this is it, I'm going to die, helpless and alone…at least I'll be able to see mom and dad again, and Mika and Ar…they've been waiting so long…' she closed her eyes tightly and took one last, deep breath before she opened her eyes, ready to face her fate.

Before her, standing tall and proud was the largest wolf she'd ever seen in her life, it towered over her wilting form, its obsidian coat in great contrast with the snow covered trees and brush all around, the great wolf paused its advance, locking its large silver eyes with Eren's wide cerulean ones. She felt her breath catch in her throat as the wolf drew closer, she tried to swallow the lump that had formed and she felt her bottom lip quiver as it came close enough to sniff her.

When nothing more happened, and the creature backed away, Eren locked eyes with it once more and noticed how…almost, sad they looked. How she was able to still feel something for the beast that was about to kill her, she was unsure, and she was even more unsure of why she felt the need to reach out and touch it. She'd never really been one to think rationally in high stress situations, though her instinctual impulses had let her survive…well up until now. Before she had time to process what she was doing, she'd already reached out to stroke the side of the beast's head.

She stopped her hand right below its ear and just tried to control her breathing, when the wolf made no move to attack her or move away, she slowly curled her fingers and began soft, gentle strokes. Something familiar and kind seemed to surface in its eyes for a flicker of a second before a gunshot rang through the woods. The beast growled and snapped at Eren on instinct, sinking its fangs into her left hand and scaring her back against the tree, trembling, Eren watched as it sniffed the air then looked at her once more before sprinting back the way it came through the woods.

Shaken and confused as the pain from the bite spread through her hand, and into her arm, Eren watched the wolf's retreating form until another gunshot echoed, this time much closer than the first. She immediately pushed herself up, wincing at the pain radiating through her ankle, but was able to hobble as quickly as she could away from the chaotic sounds of gunshots and howling, the adrenaline coursing through her veins helped block the sensation of pain shooting through her body. She paused a moment to catch her breath, and gathered a few twigs and short sticks protruding from the snow, knowing if she were to find a place to rest, that she'd need to build a fire in order to stay alive, and that once she settled down again, she most likely would not be able to get up again.

Moments later, she made it to a clearing and stumbled towards a large rock formation, hoping to take shelter there until she was able to walk normally again. From the corner of her eye she spotted something large and black, and turned to see the wolf from earlier running in the opposite direction. Though it could have done more harm to her than it had, she still felt her earlier fear resurface and she tried to hobble faster towards the hole, lest it turn and see her as an easy target in case it'd worked up an appetite running from the apparent hunter.

In her haste, she tripped again and drug herself to the shelter of the rocks, which was just large enough for her to fit comfortably. After catching her breath, Eren pulled out what remained of the small wood pieces she'd gathered and arranged them in a small pile, hoping that they weren't too damp from the snow to stay lit. She only had one match left on her, she always kept one on her person, just in case, and she was so glad she didn't include this one in her offer to the old man from earlier. She struck it against the stone that shielded her from the snow and tried to hit as many dry parts of the wood pieces as possible, luckily, a small flame started which soon grew large enough to warm the small area she'd found for herself. It would almost be pleasant, if not for the man eating beast rushing about outside, the whirl of bullets, and the fact that she likely wouldn't be able to walk normally for several days.

As the tiny fire faded, she began to think of what she could do to try and survive through the rest of the day, the only thing she could think of was possibly finding the hunter and trying to get him to help her, but she had very little to offer aside from the few coins that were miraculously still in her pocket.

She heard more crunching noises and the disgruntled sound of a frustrated man, a man! Another human!

Eren slowly crawled towards the direction of the sound, hoping that the man would help her. She pushed herself up to stand before him and shouted, "E-excuse me sir! Please help me, I'm injured and there's a wolf roaming around here!"

He didn't turn around, so Eren assumed she was just too far away for him to hear her, so she tried her best to hobble towards him, "S-sir p-please!" she tried again to shout, feeling the cold penetrate even deeper than before. She was just about to give up when he turned around, a manic grin on his face as he aimed his gun in her direction.

The man slurred, waving the gun wildly, "You're one of them aren't ya? I know you have to be, those eyes of yours aren't normal little miss."

Eren panicked and held her hands up, "W-wait a second, w-what are you s-saying?" she stuttered out, "Wait…please—" the man fired, and the bullet whizzed past her leg and into the snow, Eren froze, trying to process the fact that this man was delusional and actually trying to kill her.

She turned abruptly and now faced the great black wolf, her panicked eyes locked on to a pair of familiar silver eyes, and for a brief moment she was glad that this beautiful creature was the last thing she was going to see as an intense pain bloomed in her side, she felt warmth rush out from the wound and soak through her clothing and her blood spilled into the snow. As she fell, she watched the wolf's ears flatten and its eyes narrow as it ran towards her. She heard a few more gun shots then the dying wail of the man who shot her.

As she laid in the snow, feeling faded from her frozen limbs, she could taste blood filling her mouth. Within moments, her vision began to fade, her hearing was failing, and her sense of smell was dwindling, but she could have sworn that the wolf won the fight, so why in her last moments she was faced with the nude figure of man, and muddled shouts, she may never come to know. All she knew was after her vision failed, and most of the feeling had faded from her body, that she could hear a gentle rumbling noise that she found to be extremely soothing, her body was enveloped in warmth, and there was a very faint smell of sweetened chamomile mixed with mint wafting in the frigid air.


	4. Looming

**Summary: The girl wakes up confused and disoriented. Confused mostly because she actually woke up.**

 **A/N: What is paradise and how do you find it? Where is your paradise?**

 **Looming**

 _The wolf nudged the girl with its muzzle, pushing her over so she wasn't face down in the snow that greedily sucked up her blood. With a low growl, then whimper, it nuzzled and licked her face, hoping to get a reaction, when no signs of life were present, the wolf howled in anguish. 'I've lost her again,' it cried out, howling again, 'why must you always leave me alone?'_

 _In a desperate attempt, the creature shifted, the man's unclothed form embraced the dying body of his beloved as his tears fell on her rapidly chilling face. He lifted her up and held her close to him, whispering words she wasn't able to hear. He propped her on his back, then shifted back to his wolf form, hoping that it was not too late to get her treated. 'Please don't die on me…Eren."_

Waking up with a pounding headache was something that Eren would really rather not get used to, but there she was again, disoriented, nauseated, yet comfortably warm. She screwed her eyes shut tightly and slowly pushed herself up, trying her best not to jerk too much so as not to jostle her already aching head and body.

She found herself tucked between incredibly soft and …fresh smelling? linens, the room was so clean, she would have thought she was dead, if not for the painfully annoying ache coursing through her limbs. She blinked once again after peering down and scrunching the covers in her hands, feeling their softness and confirming that they were indeed there, then looked up and around the small room she found herself in. She was met with plain white walls with no decorations, and no other furniture aside from the bookshelf directly across from the bed and the small cushioned chair in the corner. There were no curtains over the window in the middle of the wall to her right side, and the faint rays of possibly early morning or midday sunlight shone through.

Slowly, Eren slid her legs off the side of the bed and shakily made her way to the window, "Where am I?" she wondered aloud, peering out of the window to see nothing but snow topped woodlands for what looked like miles on end.

'I need to figure out what's going on and where I am so I can get back home…how many days has it been? How did I get here? Where is here…' the endless stream of questioning thoughts continued on as her gaze lingered on the empty expanse of white.

Eren turned and made her way towards the door, hoping to find answers to the questions cycling through her mind. Cautiously, she cracked open the door and softly padded, bare footed, on the cold hardwood flooring down the narrow hallway she found herself in.

"—were you thinking when you brought her here?" she abruptly paused when she heard the sound of a woman talking, she sounded upset. 'Humph, I would be too if someone just brought a stranger home,' she thought to herself and cocked her ear to listen more closely to the exchange.

"She was injured Han, what did you expect me to do? Leave her to die?" The man's voice was low, and his words were spoken swiftly, almost desperately. 'Leave who to die? ...Me?' she thought.

"That's not what I'm saying and you know it, I just want to know why you brought her here and not to a hospital." The woman paused and her tone dropped, Eren could have sworn the temperature fell along with it, "Why did you bite her?"

'Bite…? What is going on…what the hell are these people talking abo-…?' images flooded her already clouded head, one after another, a man hovering over her restrained body with a manic grin carved into his face, silvery-blue eyes, screams and gunshots, a house set ablaze, silvery-blue eyes, running, panting, screaming, blindfolds, gunshots, pain, blood, _silvery-blue eyes_.

Eren clutched her head and fell to the ground as a new wave of nausea hit her already weakened formed. 'I-I wasn't able to walk, I hurt my ankle…' it was securely wrapped, but no matter how well it was bandaged she shouldn't be able to move around as freely as she just had, 'and my hand…that wolf, it bit me,' she looked down at her left hand, running her fingers over the faint crescent scar that stretched from her palm to the back of her hand and up to her wrist, 'h-how long have I been asleep that it's faded this much?'

Then she remembered… she'd been shot.

'Dead, I should be dead…I was shot…and…but how…where…what happened to me?' She quickly started to unbutton the oversized plain white shirt she'd woken up in, only to find she'd been expertly wrapped in fresh bandages. That's when she looked up and realized she now had an audience. She met the gaze of two concerned pairs of eyes, one a warm and familiar amber color, the other… a silvery-blue that sent a chill down her spine.

The older woman was the first to approach her, slowly stepping forward with her palms bared, to show she meant the girl no harm, with soft words she spoke, "Hello again dear," she smiled, those kind, lively eyes softening behind her golden frames, "my name is Hange," she took another step forward, and Eren unconsciously leaned back, "I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to help okay?" Eren momentarily regarded her with wide, panicked eyes, then shifted her focus back on the man, who stood impossibly motionless and watched, like a predator, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. Eren felt glued to floor, a sudden haze of fatigue falling over her and making it difficult to move, no matter how much she wanted to bolt.

"How are you feeling?" the woman pressed on, now kneeling near Eren, while cautiously reaching forward to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

The contact snapped Eren out of her trance, she jumped up and attempted to run away from her two observers, but was just as quickly stopped by a forceful and firm grip, she was pulled back and a sturdy, almost burning arm was wrapped around her waist, while the other locked around her shoulders to prevent her from thrashing. "L-LET GO! LET ME GO!" She shouted, wiggling wildly while her capture quickly barked, "Hurry up damnit before she hurts herself," those words were accompanied by quick puffs of warm breath onto Eren's neck, which were soon followed by, "Please, don't fight me, I'm just trying to help you."

The man's grip tightened and soon after Eren felt a prick on the side of her neck, within a few minutes she was no longer able to control her limbs, feeling fading before she lost consciousness again. Though on the brink of fading consciousness, she vaguely registered the brief loosening of the iron hold she'd been in, the faint puffs of warm breath on her neck, and the calming aroma of chamomile and mint, wafting through the air.

Once the girl stopped thrashing in his arms, and he felt her weight fall against him, Levi looked to Hange and furrowed his brows with disapproval as he spoke, "This will not happen again." The feral aura he let out made the bespectacled woman step back on instinct, but she still spoke up, "You know I can't promise that, it all depends on her reactions," she paused and averted her eyes, knowing that she may be going against a direct order from her Alpha, but wanted to show respect nevertheless, "if she's going to put too much strain on her body, especially the state she's in right now, no thanks you," she added with spite, as she reached forward to stroke a hair out of the girl's face, "then she will have to remain sedated."

A low growl rumbled in the man's throat, but died away as soon as her hand was retracted, "Down boy, I'm not trying to steal your mate. You've done a hell of job scaring her off as is it, I wouldn't even dream of trying to sabotage, _this,_ " she paused and made a circular motion with her hand, gesturing towards Levi holding Eren's limp, unconscious form, "whatever it is. Anyway, you should tuck her back in, Erwin will be here by moonlights first hour so we can tell him exactly what's going on and so you can clarify why you did what you did."

Levi sighed, locking Hange with a menacing look before complying with her words, and taking Eren back to the room she'd snuck out from. Hange returned to the living area to give them some private time, knowing how concerned he really was for the girl, and how much he'd gone through when they first thought that she was gone.

After he'd placed her back in bed, he pushed a few stray hairs out of her face and a sense of calm washed over him as he sat, watching the gentle rise and falls of her chest. He pulled up her scarred hand, and brought his lips down to meet the palm, then the back of her hand, before lowering it and gently brushing his fingers over the scarred flesh, sighing with a deep scowl on his face before quietly slipping out of the room with one last glance at her slumbering form. He wished to stay by her side until she awoke again, hoping that she might seek comfort from him, and that by keeping in close contact that she'd remember who he was, and that they were promised to each other.

He sighed again, standing outside the door, thinking back to the first time he'd seen Eren.

They'd first met after the first year of her life and the ninth year of his, and just as soon after, were promised to each other after their fathers agreed to the joining of their two clans upon the marriage of their first born. To further the comradery between the two clans, the Ackerman's of the Hidden Moon and the Yeager's of the Rising Tide, Mikasa, the second born of the Ackerman's, was sent to live with the Yeager's, who at age seven, was readily accepted by the then six-year-old Eren as a loving older sister.

There was a scare when Eren was eight, she'd gone missing for over a week until thankfully she was found by part of the Ackerman's elite hunting squad, terrified, confused, and starved, but otherwise unharmed. Or so they thought. Her memory and sequencing of events seemed to be off, but as time passed, it appeared to get better. The only worrisome thing was that she had trouble recognizing Levi. She'd been so loving and affectionate before, clinging to him wherever he'd go, even demanding that he visit her as often as he was able. But after the kidnapping, she seemed to distance herself from him, though she was still hot-headed at times and just as kind and caring in most situations, there was something different about how she treated certain people, especially Mikasa and Levi, something was just off. Clan doctors attributed the acute changes to the fact that the time for her to present was soon upon them. Most lycan presented around the same time the human body goes through puberty, generally girls presented between ages ten and thirteen, and boys presented around or after their fourteenth year.

Though as the days grew into weeks, and weeks into months, and months into years, Eren became more and more like she was before her disappearance, and as her tenth year approached, both clans grew excited and wanted to celebrate the possible discovery of what the Alpha Levi's mate would be, however not everyone shared the excitement of wanting to know, nor were they in agreement about the joining of the clans.

It was her tenth year that every hope they'd had was shattered, she'd disappeared again only this time, she was found for seemingly the last time. The Yeager's were found murdered, their heads on display for the whole of the village to see, the tragedies continued when Alpha Kenny's head was treated in a similar manner a few weeks following their deaths. Mikasa and Armin, who'd gone missing around the same time Eren did, were found several weeks later, relatively unharmed, which brought some hope to the bleak lives of the Hidden Moon clan, but Levi had already fallen into a deep, and long anguish when they'd failed to save Eren, he remembered howling in grief when they found her body a few weeks before the murder of the pack Alphas took place, untouched and perfectly preserved, though completely lifeless. He'd lost his mate, his family, and as the new Alpha of the Hidden Moon clan, the potential to join with the Rising Tide clan. With no leadership and no heir, the Rising Tide clan fell out of existence, they broke off into separate clans and scattered across France and Germany, leaving their centuries old home of the Rhine valley.

Levi sat on the sofa, a calm rage settled into his features, while he waited for Erwin to show up and most likely deal out his punishment for turning a human without their consent. Though they both knew that was far from the truth, the council wouldn't see him as anything other than delusional Alpha who'd gone mad after losing his mate who was desperate and needed to be replaced. Though he finally had Eren by his side, he knew she still was not _with_ him, and he'd need Erwin and the help of his clan to make sure that she would be able to stay by him. Despite being reassured by many of his closest clan members that they would support him; he couldn't shake off the feeling that something much darker was looming overhead.

A loud knock resounded through his sparsely decorated halls, strumming him from his thoughts, he looked to Hange and nodded, and seconds later she was at the door, greeting their guest. "Alpha Erwin," the beta greeted, stepping aside to allow him to pass through the threshold, "welcome."

Levi stood and extended his hand, "Erwin." He greeted curtly.

The towering blond returned his handshake and greeting, "Levi, old friend, it's good to see you again. Though I wish it were under different circumstances." His large brows furrowed as he looked directly into Levi's eyes, "About this turning, is it…is the girl really the Yeager's lost heir?"

Levi nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact with the taller man. "Yes, she is."

Erwin brought his hand to his chin as his face contorted in concentration, "But how is that possible, we found her body Levi, we confirmed that she was dead. Are you sure she's just not a look-a-like?"

Levi scoffed, a low growl erupted from deep in his throat, "Are you saying that I'm delusional? You think I wouldn't know my own mate?" he paused and ran his hand through his hair, "I know I worried you all for a while, but trust me when I say, my mind has never been clearer than now, the girl in that room is Eren. There are no if's and's or asses to be said about it, that's Eren, and if you or anyone else try to take her from me again, rest assured that there will be bloodshed." He spat the last few words out, his pale blue irises being overtaken by molten silver as his nails blacked and elongated, his canines became more pronounced and his wolven ears were turned to side as he snarled at the man in front of him.

Erwin did not back down, but he knew based on how strongly his friend and fellow pack Alpha had reacted, that regardless of the facts, Levi truly believed the girl with him was his lost beloved. Sighing, Erwin nodded, which managed to calm Levi to the state that his nails and fangs retracted, but the molten silver of his eyes and his fluffy black ears remained. 'So he's still on guard. Fair enough.' Erwin thought.

After a few moments of a silent exchange, Levi turned to lead Erwin to where his princess slumbered. Erwin had only met the girl a few times in his lifetime, he had visited along with his father to pay his respects to the first born of Alpha Grisha and Luna Carla Yeager, then met her once again when she was eight years old, and again at her ninth year of life celebration, before the last time at the funeral when they sealed mausoleum that soon became the Yeager's family tomb. Though he didn't know the girl very well, from what he saw sleeping soundly in the middle of that bed, he was almost as certain as Levi that she was the same person.

'But how, we found her body…granted they were not able to discern her cause of death, as there were no fatal wounds on her body, nor discernable signs of poison, but how… how is she here?' he stared in bewilderment wondering how this child has managed to cheat Death so many times, and why Death seems to be as enamored with her as the pale, black haired man rubbing small circles onto the back of her hand.

Still having room for doubt, Erwin spoke again, his tone slow and careful, "Have you spoken to the girl yet?"

Without looking up from the slumbering girl, "Not coherently. The first time I ran into her was pure accident, the second I was a wolf, and earlier she was so hysterical Hange had to sedate her." This time he looked up and fixed his friend with a scowl, "But I know it's her Erwin, and I know you know it too."

Erwin blinked once, then twice, before speaking again, "Suppose that she is the Yeager's heir-"

"She is, there's no supposing needed. This is Eren Yeager, and if you disregard my mate's legitimacy again I will take personal offense," he spoke through nearly gritted teeth, a low growl emitting as his ears flattened out.

Erwin sighed and shook his head, beginning to lose patience with the man, though their friendship has been as long as he can recall his first memory, he still demanded a certain level of respect as the Alpha of one of the largest and most powerful clans of northern Germany, though the numbers of Levi's clan were on the decline, they still remained one of the most powerful in the south, "Levi, you know I mean neither of you offense, I simply want you to think about what actions you're going to take to ensure that your future is as you wish it to be."

Levi's scowl fell, and his features returned their impassive mask, the slight furrow in his brow smoothing out as he sighed and nodded his head for the blonde man to continue.

"Now, as I was saying, suppose that this girl is the long lost heir of the Yeager's, why is it that she doesn't recognize you? Or Hange for that matter. From our earlier correspondence, she appeared to have had an extended conversation with Eren, but not once did the girl indicate that she so much as recognized Hange," he paused, letting the words settle in, "Do you not find that odd? And from what you you've said, for her to have broken her ankle and not have started to heal until after you bit her, I find that strange. If she had any lycan blood flowing through her veins before the bite, she should have been able to easily escape that deranged amateur of a hunter, yet she'd been on the brink of death for nearly a week since that incident."

Levi's features contorted into a grimace and Erwin continued on, "even a newly turned lycan wouldn't have taken more than two days to completely heal from the injuries she'd sustained-"

"She was shot Erwin." Levi snapped, a low growl erupting from deep in his chest.

As if prepared for the outburst, Erwin countered, "the bullet wasn't silver Levi. You know that. You were shot too, how long did your wounds take to heal?"

His eyes widened for a moment as he looked between himself and the girl, "Erwin," he started, voice low and warning, "you're trying my patience, get to the fucking point before I kick you out of my house."

Erwin sighed again and let his eyes shut briefly, "The point is Levi, if this were as simple we wished, then that girl wouldn't be lying there sedated right now, something is strange about her, and I'm not saying that to offend either of you so get your head out of your ass for a moment and think. She doesn't remember you, she doesn't seem to know where she came from nor does she know what she is. She's been missing for seven years, who knows that could have happened since then. All I'm trying to say is that until we can ascertain the extent of the damage…or forbid, alteration done to her memory, that we, and you especially need to be careful with what is done and said around her."

Levi's features were contorted into a mix of pure rage at the thought of people experimenting on Eren, _his Eren_ , his beautiful, perfect, mate, and defeat that the thought that she may never remember who she was…or who they were… and are to each other.

"So what do you suggest be done about this?"

"For now, until Hange can determine the extent of the damage done, she should be treated as if she were a normal human girl. She is to know nothing of our kind, that means no shifting Levi. None. You need to control your temper, and control your urges. Everyone within a ten-mile radius knows that you've claimed her, so stop acting like a wild beast every time someone so much as looks her direction."

"So that's it. You want to me hide our existence? Hide what I am…what we are to each other?" He felt his anger swelling up again, "Brilliant fucking plan Erwin, what's next, are you going to suggest that I take her back to that shit hole orphanage she lived in for God knows how long and pretend like we never met?"

"Levi calm down that's not what I-"

"No, fuck you, you don't get to tell me to calm down, you didn't lose your mate-"

This time Hange cut in, standing between her Alpha and the northern Alpha, "Levi that's enough." Her glare was harsh, and firm, though a tremble ripped through her body when he growled.

Erwin's blonde brows furrowed, his face contorted into a mask of pain, "It's alright Hange, he's clearly not in his right mind."

"Erwin…" Levi started, realizing how out of line he'd gotten. 'Fuck,' he thought, relaxing his stance and backing away, a pang of regret hitting him.

"It's alright. I know you didn't mean that. I'm going to leave for now, but I will be back. Until then, please Levi, remember that what I've said to you is my advice as a friend. Next time I return, I will be speaking from the council's viewpoint, so please, for both your sake and the girl's, be careful what information you share."

Levi furrowed his brows, looking down at the slumbering girl, and nodded slowly, "I know you meant well. Thank you for coming here first." He moved over to her bedside, passing light, gentle strokes over the back of her hand before interlocking their fingers.

Sighing, Erwin watched the silent exchange and felt sympathy bloom in his chest, "You know they're going to try to take her away Levi. And if she really is Eren…they'll want to know how she's still alive, when she was clearly dead seven years ago."

His hand tightened around hers, and without looking up he spoke, "Then let the bastards try." He quietly added in, bangs haven fallen in his face, "I finally have her back, don't take her from me again."

Erwin and Hange exchanged looks, then quietly left the room, leaving Levi kneeling at Eren's bedside, her scarred hand firmly grasped in his as his other hand stroked the unruly hairs obscuring her sleeping face.

 **A/N: So apparently when I updated this two months ago...it didn't actually post...I am so terribly sorry. For more reliable updates...try my archive of our own account (Haruka_Hourou) the interface is much more user friendly so I'm typically able to get things loaded hours, even days, or months apparently ahead of this site.**


	5. Midnight Moon

**Summary: Love long since forgotten. The girl finds comfort in these familiar strangers but along with her elation, comes a toxic dose of sadness.**

 **A/N: How do you fight your loneliness?**

 **Midnight Moon**

 _She awoke to a soft sensation, her mind still too hazy to find the words to name it. It was light, and soothing, yet it sent what felt like currents of electricity through her skin. What was this sensation again? And why did it seem so familiar. She pinpointed the sensation's origin, the back of her hand. Touch, she was being touched, with such feather light strokes they almost didn't seem to be real. She felt her hand grasped, enveloped in a firm warmth, it only lasted a moment before the grip tightened and her chest welled with sadness. She felt like crying, or perhaps she already was? Her cheeks felt wet, her chest painfully tight, and the almost painful grip on her hand finally weakened. As the warmth faded she reached forward to grasp it, to bring it back and…what was this feeling, like a deep, instinctual desire to comfort, and soothe the ache of the one who brought her such a pleasant sensation and so much warmth._

"-ren?"

Her eyes slowly blinked opened and she looked around darkened room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

"Eren?" despite the urgency in the voice, she couldn't help but feel soothed by it.

"Hmm?" she hummed sleepily, turning towards the owner of the smooth and soothing voice.

"Eren!" he called again, his voice tinged with excitement and a slight hint of relief.

She sat up and blinked, eyes having finally adjusted so she could clearly make out the kneeling form of the man next to her bed, his hair fallen into disarray across his forehead, silvery eyes wide and slightly glassy, as if begging to be closed in the sweet embrace of sleep, his thin lips were parted, as if about to ask a question, but nothing came from between them.

Eren studied his features and focused on his impossibly ethereal eyes, feeling as though she could get lost in them, 'though I wouldn't entirely mind,' she thought as she continued to openly stare at his oddly familiar features, highlighted by the bright white of the moonlight. Her small trance was broken, when he shifted, and his eyes briefly shut. He looked like he had want for nothing, as if all was right with the world and nothing could convince him otherwise.

Feeling lost for words, Eren's lips parted and an uncomfortably confused, "Umm…" escaped. She quickly shut her mouth when she realized how dumb the broken pause sounded.

His narrow eyes opened, as he hummed, "Hmm?"

She stared at him a moment longer before averting her eyes, and focusing on her hands in her lap, immediately feeling self-conscious, why that was? She couldn't really pinpoint. "Um…well... D-do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Of course not," he said slowly, then continued, dragging the question out as if letting it set to sear, "what would you like to know?"

"Right…" she drew out, watching him with rising suspicion, "First…where am I?"

Without missing a single beat, the man replied, "This is one of my homes, we're on the outskirts of Frankfurt right now, but don't worry, you're safe here, I give you my word." He answered so matter-of-factly that she found it difficult to suspect him of kidnapping her, though she was still leaning very heavily towards that option. Frankfurt wasn't exactly within walking distance of anywhere she was familiar with…especially not Madame's house… 'Madame…right home, I need to get home, the children need that medicine…oh no, how many days has it been? How long have they gone without any supervision or food…?' her thoughts continued in a downward spiral as she tried to figure out how to explain to this man, who seemed nice enough, that she needed to return home right away.

She was broken out of the stream of what she'd thought were questions posed in her head, when he interjected, "You've been asleep for five days..."

"F-five days?" Her eyes widened and she practically tore the covers off her body, exposing her bare legs to the chill of the evening air. Ignoring the icy embrace of the cold air, she moved to swing her legs off the side of the bed, wanting nothing more than to get back home and check on the young ones who'd become like a family to her.

Though, before she could set one bare foot on the cold wood flooring, the man was restraining her and putting the covers back over her body, "No, you need to rest, your body is still weak from the strain it's been put through."

Eren struggled against him, anger welling up inside her as she spoke, "Let me go, you've given me nothing but reasons to leave this place—"

A dark grimace usurped the man's previously blank face, the look alone could have stopped Eren in her tracks, but coupled with the deep commanding tone of his voice, as he spoke, "Stop fighting me and lay back down," she couldn't help but quake with fear, an intense feeling of nervousness followed soon after and she felt so tense her body refused to move. 'What is this…?' she thought, unknowingly releasing poignant fumes of fear and confusion into the air around them.

The scent alarmed Levi and he loosed his grip when he realized what he'd done. 'Fuck, damnit,' he thought to himself, 'why do I keep scaring her…I finally have her back and my first reaction is to make her comply to my wishes. I haven't even asked her why she wants to go back to that shit hole so badly…are those brats really that important to her?'

Fearing he would only make the situation worse by embracing her, he released her arms all together and slowly backed away from her petrified form, holding his hands up in a show of surrender and peace, hoping those silent gestures would calm her enough to allow their conversation to continue. He still had so much he wanted to tell her and even more he wanted to ask.

"I'm sorry," he started, studying her form carefully and watching as some of the tension eased out of her shoulders, "I panicked and I was out of line. Forgive me, that will not happen again. But please, stay in bed. You shouldn't move around too much until you are completely healed," he paused, as if mulling over the next thing he wanted to say, but said nothing more as he watched for Eren's reaction.

Though she was still greatly nervous, he could tell that the fearfulness behind her actions had at least subsided. He couldn't, however, ignore the pang of guilt he felt when he saw how uncomfortably rigid she looked, he watched her eyes, shifting back and forth between the covers, his face, and the closed door, as she slowly settled with her back against the headboard and pulled the sheets up far enough to cover her shoulders.

As the silence dragged on, he watched her worrying her lip between her teeth and offered, "If you'd like…, that is if you're still worried for those children, I can send some of my people to check in on them. Take them food, and water, and whatever else they may require."

That got Eren out of the strange and sudden funk she'd found herself in, and she began to process his words, 'Is he serious… send some of his people? Who is this guy and why is he so adamant that I stay here…but if there is a possibility that they will get the help they need…then even if…it costs me…it's worth it…right?'

Moments after the offer entered the air, Eren spoke up, hesitant but hopeful, "Even medicine? Could they take them medicine," she paused when the man's thin black brows knit together, deciding to elaborate a bit more she added, "three of them are sick and I worry greatly for their health and the others that are with them. They share a room so I fear the sickness may spread quickly…sir, would you really do that?"

The black haired man processed the new information and nodded slowly, earning grateful and relieved smile from Eren in the process.

Her eyes were glassy, tears ready to fall at any moment because of the great sense of relief that washed over her. She barely knew this man, he could be lying through his teeth for all she knew, yet for some reason she felt she could trust his every word, she believed that he really would send people to look after and care for those marginalized souls, abandoned by the rest of the world and left to rot away as the Madame's broken doll collection.

"Anything you ask, or wish for, if I have the power to grant it, then I will." He added, hoping to further win her favor and wishing that she'd grant him more opportunities to prove himself to her, to help make up for lost time.

She closed her eyes and a few tears spilled from them, falling down to her hands, now clenched around the sheets that fell from her shoulders and pooled at her hips. "Thank you," she whispered softly, a few more tears fell before she felt a warm hand cupping her face, then the stroke of a thumb under her eye, wiping away the tear before it could fall and soil her face.

"W-what are you…" she started, as she hesitantly reached up to remove his hand from her face, she then paused to gather her thoughts before questioning, "…why are you being so kind to me? I have nothing to offer you in return."

He shook his head, as if to disagree with her, "Eren you of all people deserve some kindness. And you have no idea how much you've already given me, you have plenty to offer," the man paused, his gaze slightly averted as the crease between his brows deepened, then he looked back up, locking her eyes with his own as his continued, "I fear that _I_ don't have enough to give you in return…"

Feeling her face heat up, she averted her gaze as she said aloud, "I'm not so sure about that…but thank you..." she questioned him, "…why, I mean, why am I here? And…who… are you and how do you know my name?" she rushed out the last bit because for some strange reason she felt a painful ache in her chest when she was thinking about it. 'What is this,' she clutched her chest, 'why do I feel so…lonely?'

The man lowered his gaze, covering his eyes with the long part of his hair, "You're here because you were in danger…caught in a mix up and an associate of mine happened to take notice and notified me…so I saved you." He looked back up to meet her eyes, staring at them as if searching for something, "My name is Levi, Levi Ackerman, and I know you…because you're m—"

"Madame's nephew, he's Madame's nephew and I saw those men grab you so I called him to let him know, since the Madame had already gone on a trip." The sudden interjection of the voice shocked both Eren and Levi as they looked over to the source of the sound. The brunet stood at the doorway, her body half-in as she stared Eren directly in the eye, ignoring the look of annoyance Levi shot her way.

"Hange." He grit out, upset at himself for almost going against what he'd agreed to earlier with Erwin, and also annoyed by the fact that the Beta was listening so closely to their conversation that she knew the perfect time to interject, though he knew he'd have to thank her later for her quick work, at that moment he wanted nothing more than to be left alone and undisturbed with Eren.

He glared at the unwelcomed occupant in the threshold and spat out, "What, do you think you're doing?" Over the years he'd grown so use to the absence of omegas and their sensitivity to alphas' fluctuations, that he didn't think twice about displaying his displeasure to the Beta, who firmly stood her ground and gave him an equally displeased look.

The air in the room grew thick and Eren found it somewhat hard to breathe, the strong scent of smoke, like that of a hundred candles being simultaneously extinguished, filled the air and Eren felt her body grow rigid again. 'What the hell is this…why am I so…scared?'

"Levi, calm down you're scaring Eren." The woman spoke from the threshold of the door.

In a moment of boldness, she stepped further in the room, consciously trying to ignore the warning smell of smoke that radiated off of the Alpha, "I'm trying to save you from making a mistake. I don't know how you haven't noticed. She has no memory of _us_." She paused and looked between the girl in the bed and the man standing on alert next to her, he looked ready to strike at any given moment.

As the tension grew, Eren felt torn between the bizarre, yet obvious desire to either hide under the bed or try and escape through the window, and the strangely strong, and somewhat foreign urge to reach out and grab the black haired man's hand. 'W-what is this…' she thought to herself for what seemed like the 20th time in past half hour, she looked away from the scene before her and began staring down at her hands illuminated faintly by the moonlight and the light from the lantern the brunet was holding near the entrance.

The brunet continued speaking, "Why this is? I haven't the slightest idea," her tone seemed to drop a few octaves, and the temperature in the room seemed to fall along with it, "but you need to be careful of what you say and do."

Eren felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand, and soon she felt consumed with a renewed and overbearing need to hide. She didn't even realize that the high pitched, whimpering sounds were coming from her. At least not before the others in the room noticed.

Levi turned when he heard a faint whimper from behind followed by the release of something that smelled akin to a burning field. He hurried back to the bed and without thinking, brought Eren to his chest in a hug, he felt her tense and squirm in his hold, but whispered sweet reassurances to her and let her inhale his scent. "Shh, I'm sorry," he ran his hand through her hair and continued in a low voice, "I didn't mean to scare you like that. It's okay…shh…" Her faint fragrance of crisp citrus fruit and jasmine returned, and her breathing evened out as her body became more pliant.

Though she was initially alarmed by the forced hug, she couldn't help but melt into the man's warm embrace. The choking stench of smoke was quickly replaced by a faint, sweet fragrance that calmed her, the air felt light and she felt herself drawn to where the scent was strongest. Eren nosed along Levi's neck and inhaled deeply, the scents of mint and chamomile overpowering her senses and lulling her into a deep calm. She felt as if she could live in that warm embrace, she could certainly see herself falling asleep in it.

As he started to pull away she found herself saddened and tried desperately to cling to him. 'Mine,' she thought and she pulled him closer to her body.

"Eren." He called to her softly. Looking down with a softened gaze and a small, hopeful smile on his lips. At that, her mind finally caught up to her body, and she all but pushed him away, eyes wide in surprise over the feelings pumping through her.

"What was that…what…?" she stared down at her trembling hands, then back up at the duo lit by the lantern light in the threshold, they stared back at her, the brunet with a bewildered and sympathetic expression on her face, while the black haired man looked as if he'd just been stabbed in the back by his most loyal friend, his eyes were narrowed, brows scrunched and lips turned down into an opened lipped scowl.

After a few moments of complete stillness, the only sound in the room from the flicker of the flame inside the lantern, Levi took a few slow steps towards Eren's bed, slowing even more when she visibly tensed and stopping when she spoke again, "What is…" her voice fading into a mumble, the words too low for even Levi to hear. 'What is going on…why do I want to hug him? I don't even know him. I've never even seen this man before in my life…I am very grateful that they saved me…at least I think they did, but this situation…this is just too much…I feel as though I'm missing something, and do they really know Madame? She never mentioned having a nephew, they don't even look similar at all…'

"I'm supposed to be dead right now, I know I was shot, and my foot, I'm sure my ankle was broken, and this scar," she caressed the smooth crescent shape with thin fingers, "this wound was so deep there's no way it's healed this quickly." She squeezed her hands together tighter as tears fell and her lips trembled, "What is going on here…"

Levi looked away for a moment before turning to Hange, she bit her lip and shook her head, letting him know through a silent exchange what she would advise him to do in this situation, though ultimately it was his choice, he reluctantly nodded in agreement, though he wanted nothing more than to whisk her away into the moonlight and show her the wonders of what being a lycan could bring.

 **A/N: I will be at Afest and San Japan coming up in a couple months, just wanted to give y'all a heads up! If any of you happen to be attending I do hope you say hi, I'd love to meet you! My cosplay lineup will be released in the next update but you can always message me or keep a look out on my twitter ( harukahourou) and Instagram ( haruka_hourou) too!**


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